F-35B CAUGHT FIRE DURING TRAINING FLIGHT

US Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighter based out of Beaufort, South Carolina, recently caught fire in mid-air during a training flight.

Photo Credit: US Navy

The Marine Corps is investigating after an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter based out of Beaufort, South Carolina, recently caught fire in mid-air, Military.com has learned.
The incident happened Oct. 27 at Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, a fleet replacement squadron for the Marine Corps consisting of 20 F-35B aircraft. One of the aircraft experienced a fire in the weapons bay while conducting a training mission over Beaufort, 1st Lt. John Roberts, a spokesman for 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, told Military.com.
"The aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries sustained," he said. "An investigation is ongoing and we will provide updates as they are available."
No estimate of damage caused by the fire was available. The incident was listed by the Naval Safety Center as a Class A mishap, meaning damage totalled $2 million or more on the $100 million aircraft.
The squadron didn't observe any kind of grounding or operational pause as a result of the mishap, Roberts said.
The F-35 program has suffered several setbacks due to aircraft catching fire, though previous incidents involved the Air Force's F-35A conventional take-off and landing variant.
BLOG BEFORE FLIGHT EQUIPMENTCanon EOS 80D Digital SLR Camera